Overview

The advancement of the North Korean nuclear weapons program has created significant global controversy. Due to this, the United Nations imposed sanctions against North Korea because of its refusal to cease its nuclear evolution.

In recent years, North Korea’s relationships with South Korea, Japan and the United States have become increasingly strained. The demise of North Korea’s relationship with South Korea occurred in response to the THAAD Defense System that South Korea announced. North Korea’s relationship with Japan has also become tense due to Japan’s disapproval of their nuclear program. In 2017, North Korea launched its second ballistic missile over Japan which caused further tensions to the relationship.

Since 2018, the United States and North Korea have worked to repair their damaged relationship. Trump has made efforts to explore this relationship, which has often led to further aggression as North Korea has consistently refused to obey Trump’s orders. In fact, satellite images suggest that North Korea has expanded its long-range missile base and has maintained his goal of mass-producing nuclear warheads for its developing arsenal.

Internally, the human rights watch has referred to North Koreans as “some of the world’s most brutalized people” because of the heavy political and economic restrictions placed upon its citizens.

Facts

Where: North Korea

Population: 25.4 million

Prisoners: 200,000

Soldiers:

One million soldiers

Reserves of five million

Two hundred-thousand special forces troops

Current nuclear capability: Believed to be able to miniaturize nuclear warheads to fit on ICBM missiles

Intercontinental ballistic missile range: Claim the ability to hit anywhere in the USA. This was shown by the demonstrations of Hwasong-12, Hwasong-14 and Hwasong-15.

Thermonuclear Weapons:

September 2017: the largest nuclear test took place at the Punggye-ri test site

The explosive power, ranged from 100-370 kilotons. Making the test 6 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima (1945)

This is the most potent form of nuclear blast where an atomic detonation is boosted by a secondary fusion process creating a far bigger explosion

Chemical Weapons:

In 2012, the South Korean government assessed that North Korea could have 2,500-5,000 tons of chemical weapons, making it the largest stockpiles worldwide

"I think the issue of North Korea is one where the international community as a whole has to work to resolve the crisis."

Helen ClarkFormer Head of UNDP and Prime Minister of New Zealand

Key actors

North Korea has rescinded peaceful talks with South Korea. It is also antagonistic with the United States and Japan due to their nuclear program and their refusal to denuclearize. Kim Jong-un has continued to support the development of this program regardless of the external opposition. In 2018, he invited President Donald Trump to discuss possible negotiations, however no solution was agreed upon. The relationship between North Korea and the USA has remained volatile ever since.

The United States supports South Korea and is attempting to force North Korea into de-nuclearization. President Donald Trump has continued to threaten North Korea’s national security as Kim Jong-un has refused to give up their weapons. This has created a cycle of negative slurs between the two leaders, threats of war and uncertainty for the future.

The relationship between North Korea and Japan has remained tense, especially due to Japan’s disapproval of their nuclear program. In 2017, the relationship became more unstable as North Korea launched its second ballistic missile over Japan.

South Korea announces independence which triggered North Korean invasion and the Korean War. South Korea receives support from China and the Soviet Union to invade North Korea; with the aim of gaining control of the peninsula.

North Korea ratifies the International Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is a multilateral treaty that bans the signatory from producing nuclear weapons. This treaty also promotes peace and cooperation surrounding nuclear energy-security.

President Jimmy Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to visit North Korea, where he meets with Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder. Carter’s trip paves the way for a bilateral deal between the United States and North Korea.

The U.S. and North Korea sign the Agreed Framework that commits North Korea to freezing its illegal plutonium weapons program and stopping the construction on nuclear reactors in Geneva. In exchange, the U.S. agrees to provide sanctions relief, aid, oil, and two light-water reactors for civilian use. Earlier that year U.S. intelligence calculated that North Korea had built approximately one or two nuclear weapons.

The United States proclaims it will remove approximately one hundred nuclear weapons from South Korea. This was part of the original Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. This agreement between President Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, was labeled the START treaty and restricted the deployment of offensive nuclear weapons overseas.

North Korean General Jo Myong-rok meets with U.S. President Clinton in Washington. Following this, the U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright travels to North Korea to deliberate the country’s ballistic missile program and missile technology exports. This led to talks in November, but Clinton’s rule ended without further nuclear or missile deals taking place.

Bush states in a memorandum that the U.S. will not confirm North Korea’s compliance with the 1994 Agreed Framework. This was because of a rocket test and the exporting of missile-related products to Iran.

North Korea pledges to stopping operations at its Yongbyon nuclear facilities in exchange for fifty thousand tons of oil. The agreement was created as part of an action plan which was agreed to by the Six Party members in the September 2005 declaration.

Pyongyang announces its fifteen nuclear sites to Beijing, the chair of the Six Party Talks, affirming that it had thirty kilograms of plutonium and used two kilograms in its 2006 nuclear test. Due to this, Bush withdraws some of its trade restrictions with North Korea, announces plans to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and renounces some sanctions.

In October, the U.S. State Department announces a preliminary arrangement with North Korea on verifications. However, by December, discussions break down because of differences of opinions for verification measures.

President Barack Obama becomes President and is prepared to revive the Six Party Talks, but North Korea launches a rocket. It also ejects international monitors from its nuclear facilities in April and the following month tests a second nuclear device, which carries a yield of two to eight kilotons. In December, the U.S. hold their first bilateral consultation with North Korean representatives.

Pyongyang reveals its new centrifuge for uranium enrichment, which was built in secret and its light-water reactor under construction. This showed that North Korea was still committed to advancing its weapons program.

Following a meeting between the U.S. and North Korea in Beijing, North Korea commits to suspend its uranium enrichment actions in Yongbyon, invite IAEA monitors, and carry out a moratorium on long-range missile and nuclear testing. In exchange for its cooperation, the U.S. agreed to provide tons of food aid. However, the deal falls apart because North Korea launched a rocket and displayed intercontinental ballistic missiles during a military parade.

In September, Pyongyang conducts its sixth nuclear test, which it claims is a hydrogen bomb. This created international panic and Trump redesignates North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism in November.

North Korea, it is announced, is willing to discuss denuclearization if it can begin direct talks with the U.S. Kim Jong-un is also said to be scheduled to meet his South Korean counterpart in April, in the first summit of its kind in more than a decade

Kim Jong-un makes a historic visit to South Korea, where he meetsSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in for talks at the border crossing between both countries. During that meeting they agree to end hostile actions and work towards reducing nuclear arms on the peninsula.

Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump meet in Singapore in a historic moment, as it is the first time a North Korean leader has met the U.S. President. An agreement was signed to encourage positive relations between the U.S. and North Korea, stating North Korea’s desire for peace on the Korean peninsula and their commitment to steps toward denuclearization.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Kim Yong Chol in Pyongyang to address progress since the June 12th summit. While Pompeo believed the talks went well, the North Korean Foreign Ministry characterized them as “unilateral and robber like”